PFI: Oregon State University Oregon Commercialization Initiative

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project--a Type III (C:A) partnership between Oregon State University (OSU), an institution new to the PFI Program (defined as one that has never been a PFI grantee), and Portland State University, an NSF PFI graduate (0438736--seeks to build upon the Oregon Commercialization Initiative (OCI), a pilot program which is underway, in order to catalyze commercialization efforts in Oregon by leveraging lessons learned and existing assets such as the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) so as to create a broader program with greater impact. ONAMI and OTRADI are resources for the "physical" and "technical" aspects of commercializing an invention; they enable the building and testing of prototypes. The development and implementation of a plan that brings an invention to market needs an additional resource, the intervention of experienced business entrepreneurs. OSUs model for screening and incubating new business opportunities from laboratory concepts addresses many of the roadblocks associated with university commercialization. One of the features of the model is the early direct involvement of seasoned entrepreneurs. Indeed, the full panoply of pertinent non-academic players are to be brought onto the university campus and protocols for interaction with, and education of researchers, students, and administrators will be implemented, studied, and further developed. So far, more startups have been created in the two years of the pilot program than had been created in the history of OSU. OCI will accelerate the development of an entrepreneurial culture at several research universities. The research team and business students will study the impact of OCI and publish their findings. Thus OCI will advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning. OCI will enhance the infrastructure for research and education by supporting the efforts of researchers to commercialize their discoveries. In so doing, it will enable the Oregon universities to recruit and retain better students and better professors. The proposed activity will benefit society by generating jobs, creating wealth, and improving both the standard of living and the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest. OCI will create tool kits which will enable universities to replicate its achievements in other regions. Partners at the inception of the project are Academic Institutions: Oregon State University (OSU) (lead institution), Portland State University (PSU), Willamette University, University of Oregon, Arizona State University, University of Washington, and University of Utah; Private Sector Organizations: Bend Research Inc.; Buerk Dale Victor LLC; Hewlett-Packard; Intel; Marger, Johnson & McCollom, P.C.; Northwest Technology Ventures, LP; Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN); and The Partners Group; Preston, Gates & Ellis LLP; and Public Sector Organizations: Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), and Oregon Translation Research and Drug Development Institute (OTRADI).